Skills
Executive Assistant Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in executive assistants, and how to build and show them.
Executive Assistants need technical skills such as calendar management, travel planning, and microsoft 365 or google workspace, plus people skills like discretion and anticipation and judgment. They also use tools such as Outlook or Google Calendar and Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
Technical (hard) skills
- Calendar management
- Travel planning
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
- Presentation preparation
- Meeting minutes
- Project coordination
People (soft) skills
- Discretion
- Anticipation and judgment
- Communication
- Organization
Tools, equipment and technology
- Outlook or Google Calendar
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Zoom or Teams
- Travel booking platforms
- Project management tools
- Expense reporting software
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how executive assistants put their skills to work:
- How to run a c-suite executive’s calendar
- How to plan an international business trip
- How to take board meeting minutes
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Calendar management” and “Travel planning.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “discretion,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our executive assistant glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Executive Assistant training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.